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Uzbekistan: Is Hike in Mecca Pilgrimage Quota Another Sign of Thaw?

Mar 2, 2017

The Kaabah inside the Holy Mosque in Mecca. Later this month, groups of Muslim pilgrims from Uzbekistan will begin making their way to Mecca, undertaking a religious obligation that most believers in the country can only dream about. (Photo: BBC World Service via Flickr)

Later this month, groups of Muslim pilgrims from Uzbekistan will begin making their way to Mecca, undertaking a religious obligation that most believers in the country can only dream about.

In recognition of overwhelming popular demand, authorities in Uzbekistan earlier this year upped the annual quota for people authorized to make the pilgrimage — to 7,200 from 5,200, the level that has been in place since the early 1990s.

That comes nowhere near the number of Uzbek believers who would like to make the pilgrimage, but it appears to be a rare concession from a government that seeks to balance the promotion of its conservative political agenda with the containment of religion’s role in public life.

Uzbekistan: Is Hike in Mecca Pilgrimage Quota Another Sign of Thaw?

The Kaabah inside the Holy Mosque in Mecca. Later this month, groups of Muslim pilgrims from Uzbekistan will begin making their way to Mecca, undertaking a religious obligation that most believers in the country can only dream about. (Photo: BBC World Service via Flickr)